Pure joy. That is how I feel as I look back on this year’s ARC retreats for pastors and leaders. As Director for the ARC it was pure joy for me to watch all of you enjoying soaking in God’s presence during our times of worship, being ministered to by the Lord and one another, and simply enjoying each other’s company.

Pastors and leaders gathered in the Southwest on April 9-11 and in the Midwest on April 15-18 for this year’s retreats, including a couple home on furlough from mission in Nepal. ARC National Leadership Team member, Robert Walter, presented our theme, “Grace for Shame.” Retreat participants were challenged afresh with the powerful reality that the Gospel offers not only forgiveness of sin, but also healing for shame. As biblical truth became revelation through the teaching and inner healing prayer appointments it became more than merely an informational download; it became a life-transforming experience.

“The authentic relationships, depth and freedom in worship, and life-transforming teaching and personal ministry made this the best pastor’s retreat I’ve been on in 30 years, hands down.” This was the testimony of a highly respected pastor who attended our California retreat. Another retreat participant said, “This retreat was worth making the time and effort to go to. I was challenged in looking at the difference between guilt and shame, to reflect on whether my preaching focuses only on sin and forgiveness or also on healing for shame.” Another said, “I was surprised how much more shame is mentioned in Scripture than guilt; and was reminded that the culture of the Middle East is one of shame and honor whereas our Western culture is one of guilt and innocence.” Still another shared, “This is going to impact and transform my counseling, teaching, and preaching, not to mention my own life!” Perhaps the benefit of hosting these retreats were best summed up when one pastor said, “I’m going home much freer!”

Retreats such as this will continue to be one of the ways we offer support, encouragement, and equipping for you as members, and as friends, of the ARC. We are already in the prayer and planning stage for the 2014 Retreat for Pastors and Leaders, as well as for our 2014 Regional Gatherings for all the members of ARC congregations. Keep watching future mailings of this e-newsletter or check out the ARC website for details at arcusa.org. God bless you all!

Leaders and friends of the ARC came together in April at Life Together Days hosted by the ARC in Arizona and Minnesota. In Arizona, ARC Leader, Danny Mullins, shared his journey of how God used Psalm 27 to bring him out of a dark season of life. His story was compelling, encouraging, and it highlighted the power of inner healing prayer as instrument of God’s renewing and refreshing. In Minnesota, author and friend of the ARC, Lee Grady, shared a message about God’s desire for the recovery of Apostolic Christianity in and through our churches. Lee identified six characteristics in particular in need of recovery and ARC leader, Robert Walter, is helping us identify one other. Together these make up seven marks of Apostolic Christianity the Lord wants to help us recover more fully in our own lives, and in our congregations. We’ll be communicating more with you about this word in the weeks ahead.

Many of you have been giving testimony to common elements from both the Arizona and Minnesota Life Together Days which blessed you. They include things such as enjoying being with like-minded brothers and sisters; meeting some new people while also spending time with those you already know; experiencing a religion-free zone and a freedom to be authentically who you are; being blessed and challenged by the teaching; and enjoying just soaking in times of unhurried the worship. Our thanks go out to hosts, Eric Bluhm in Minnesota and Graeme Sellers in Arizona; and to our worship leaders - Dirk Duhlstine in Arizona, and Eric McIntyre and Joel Bidderman in Minnesota.

Life Together Days are intentional appointments on our part to get in the same room at the same time with Holy Spirit and one another. We try to schedule these on a quarterly basis and as we do, our experience is that God often transforms our intentional appointments into His divine appointments. As we gather at our Life Together Days we are consistently experiencing God encountering and impacting us through authentic relationship, depth and freedom in worship, outstanding teaching, and testimony, and personal ministry.

We will keep you informed of Life Together Days coming up in each region this Summer and Fall. God bless, empower, and guide you!

By Mike Bradley, ARC Director

Improbable Provision in the Year of Living More Generously: This is a Word I believe the Lord is speaking to us in the Alliance of Renewal Churches (ARC). It is a word to be heard, received, and experienced as individuals, families, and congregations.

The Lord first began to speak to me about improbable provision as I brewed a good strong cup of coffee and met with Him in the story of Hagar and Ishmael in Genesis 21:1-20 one morning. As I read this passage I heard the Lord speak the words, “improbable provision” into my mind. Improbable Provision. Hagar and Ishmael were certainly in a situation where they needed it. There were dying and there was absolutely no help on the horizon. Their backs were against the proverbial wall. But…don’t you just love all the “buts” in Scripture? But then, God intervened and He made a way where there was no way, He made a provision no one else could provide. He provided a well where there had been no well. The God for whom nothing is too hard, nor too difficult, nor impossible made an improbable provision of water that saved their lives and enabled them to live into the future God had in store for them. This is what God’s improbable provision does. It affirms God’s care for us personally; meets our immediate need; and makes it possible for us to live into His purposes for us and through us.

I was convinced this was a Word from the Lord and shared it with the ARC National Leadership Team when we met together in January. They discerned and affirmed this was indeed a word from the Lord for members of The Alliance of Renewal Churches. In fact, Graeme Sellers was so certain, he was moved to preach a sermon series on God’s Improbable Provision in the Year of Living More Generously in his congregation (Wonderful Mercy Church, Gilbert, AZ). My wife, Debi, and I happened to be worshipping at Wonderful Mercy while on vacation just as Graeme began this series. We were so encouraged by these messages that I’ve asked Graeme for permission to place them on the ARC website so you can listen to them. Please make the time to do this. Encourage your congregational leaders to do so. Then together, pray and discern if this is a word for you and your congregations. You can access the messages at: arcusa.org. Once on the home page, look under the “Resources,” then “Media,” then “Audio” and "Podcast" links (Resources>Media>Audio>Podcast).

In addition, I am also preaching on this word in ARC churches around the country this year. I will be speaking at Hope Community in Long Beach, CA in early April and Radiant Church in early May. If you’d like to me to preach this message in your congregation, contact me at safeplacemb@gmail.com and we’ll get it scheduled.

Lord, may this be a season of Your Improbable Provision in the Year of Living More Generously. Amen!

THE STORM IS RISING... Pastor Jonah Borden loses the life savings of an elderly widow when the First National Bank of Grand Lake, Minnesota, is robbed. Now he is playing detective, trying to solve the crime and recover the widow's money. But his friends in law-enforcement can't seem to help him, and information about the case mysteriously disappears. In the meantime, he faces professional challenges, and to top it off, his own relationship with the beautiful Leyla Bennett is in troubled waters.

Jonah must overcome a malicious plot against his life, the ghosts of his past, and face the fury of Superior itself, if he is to save himself and the ones he loves.

Superior Storm is set amidst the wild beauty of Lake Superior. Featuring dry humor, and a cast of unique, memorable characters, this is part of the Lake Superior Mystery series written by ARC pastor Tom Hilpert. The books do not have to be read in order.

Go to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A2V76IG to get either the paperback, or the kindle edition, or search "Tom Hilpert" on Amazon for his books.

With over 21,000 downloads, more than 75 reviews, and an overall 4.5/5 rating, this series is growing fast in popularity.

By Mike Bradley, ARC Director

As Director for the Alliance of Renewal Churches (ARC), I want to thank you ARC leaders and your congregations for your financial support thus far in January and February. It is very helpful to have a consistent, monthly financial stream to enable us to carry out our mission to empower leaders and congregations to live fully into their God-given destinies through building kingdom friendships and strategic alliances, assisting in the development of leaders, and providing ministry training for the members of congregations.

From time to time I will send you an update on what’s happening throughout the ARC. Following is a short bullet-point update to inform you of some of the things going on in the ARC these days:

• ARC leader, Kevin McClure, recently spoke at a Men’s Retreat for our newest ARC member, Northgate Church. Northgate pastor, Steve Perkins, said the men were very blessed by what God did that weekend. Way to go Kevin and Steve!
• ARC leader, Fred Thoni is giving leadership as a site leader in a new School of Ministry which focuses on Responsible Prophetic Ministry at his church, Elmwood E. Free in the St. Paul, MN area. 
• We continue to prepare for the Grace for Shame retreats for pastors and leaders on April 9-11 in the Southwest and April 15-18 in the Midwest. I honestly believe these are going to be among the most worthwhile retreats I have ever attended in all my years in ministry. I cannot encourage you strongly enough to make time to be there. You will leave better equipped to minister God’s freedom to people in bondage to toxic shame; and there are literally thousands in our ARC churches and millions in our American culture. In addition, you will leave more refreshed as you rest in peaceful retreat settings, spend time in unhurried worship, enjoy being with other like-minded leaders, and experience God encounters in personal prayer and prophetic ministry. See you there! 
• We are in the process of beginning to prepare for two regional gatherings in 2014 which are open to not only ARC leaders and Friends of the ARC, but to all the members of their churches. We will host one in the Southwest and one in the Midwest. The focus in 2014 will be on evangelism with the intent being to help cast fresh vision for congregational and personal evangelism; and to help all ARC churches develop and put in place intentional, strategic initiatives for sharing the good news of what God has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. 
• We are currently working to plan regional youth retreats in the Midwest and Southwest. Both retreats are in the initial planning stages. More details will be coming soon. 
• ARC Ministry Teams continue to be sent into congregations to assist in leadership development and ministry skills training for the members of congregations. 
• ARC leaders and congregations are hosting leadership development classes, partnering with The Master’s Institute Seminary. Most recently classes were hosted at Wonderful Mercy Church in Gilbert, AZ and Robinwood Church in Huntington Beach, CA. 
• We are also providing leadership and ministry skills training for the members of ARC churches and Friends of the ARC by partnering with the School of Ministry (SOM) from The Master’s Institute. ARC congregations currently host School of Ministry sites at Robinwood Church in Huntington Beach, North Heights in St. Paul, MN, and Elmwood E. Free Church in the St. Paul area. Next year we will partner with SOM at Penasquitos Lutheran Church in San Diego, CA, Bridgewood Community Church in Blaine, MN, and possibly at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Midland, TX and back at Elmwood E. Free for another year. 
• Ongoing pastoral care continues to be provided for ARC leaders through visits with pastors on a one-on-one basis by phone, and by google+ video; and through ongoing Life Together Days in three regions in the country; and through the planting of Life Together Groups which meet on a weekly or bi-weely basis. 
• We are excited to be working with new church plants who are becoming part of ARC. We are partnering with Life Together Churches (ARC member, Tom Hilpert) and Family Room Churches (ARC leader, Kevin McClure) to provide relationship and support to the leaders of these new church plants. 
• We are in the process of welcoming new congregational members into the ARC: Northgate Church of Ramsey, MN-Pastor Steve Perkins and Radiant Church of Garden Grove, CA-Pastor Jeremey King. 
• We also are welcoming new individual members, the most recent being Pastor Chris Byars from Florida, and Jude McClure, a student at The Master’s Institute Seminary.

These are just a few snap shots of what’s going on in the ARC. We will continue to uphold you all in prayer, and continue serving and helping to empower you in the purposes of God for your lives. Be sure to let us know if there is any way in particular we can serve you. You can contact me at: safeplacemb@gmail.com. God bless, empower, and guide you all!

By Mike Bradley, ARC Director

I am excited to announce the addition of Brendon Fairley to the National Leadership Team for the Alliance of Renewal Churches (ARC). Brendon was formerly on staff at Penasquitos Lutheran in San Diego, and is currently serving as Associate Pastor for Bridgewood Community Church in Blaine, MN (a suburb of Minneapolis). Brendon brings a wealth of experience in youth and young adult ministry, leadership training, strategic thinking, and a passion to see the ministry of Jesus continued in the power of the Holy Spirit to the Leadership Team and to the ARC at large. I asked Brendon to introduce himself to you in this article. He writes the following:

“My wife, Shanna, and I have been involved in the ARC since 2008 and have continued to be impressed and touched by the work God is doing through Alliance of Renewal Churches. Soon after celebrating our five-year anniversary, Shanna gave birth to our first child, Grace Maisie who this past November, at 3 months, experienced her first ARC gathering.

God revealed His call on my life to become a pastor at the age of 17. Since then I have served in several different ministries as a youth and college pastor. Recently, I served as the Director of Youth Ministries for Penasquitos Lutheran Church in San Diego from 2007-2011. In the fall of 2011, Shanna and I answered the call to serve at Bridgewood Community Church in Blaine, Minnesota as an Associate Pastor. Even though the cold is a thorn in our flesh, we have been very blessed to be part of the work God is doing at Bridgewood.

I am extremely excited to begin being part of the ARC on a leadership level because I believe God is using the ARC to transform lives for His kingdom. I love that the ARC has a heavy emphasis on creating and cultivating relationships and it serves as one of the main reasons why I am eager to be part of this ministry. I have a deep respect for the other members on the leadership team and consider it an honor to serve alongside them.“

You can send Brendon a note of welcome or encouragement at: bfthumbs@yahoo.com.